Interactive shared book reading with young children with Down Syndrome: working with parents to improve parent-child interaction and child language and communication outcomes

Down syndrome is the most common genetic cause of learning disability. One of the biggest challenges for individuals with Down syndrome is language, a well-known predictor of psychosocial and academic outcomes. This PhD offers a unique opportunity to conduct a collaborative project that will have a direct impact on parents and preschool children with Down syndrome by: • analysing the linguistic input and interaction during shared book reading • co-designing an interactive shared book reading intervention and training package for parents • conducting a small-scale feasibility study This project is in collaboration with Down Syndrome Oxford - a large charity supporting over 150 families in Oxfordshire, providing speech and language intervention and training to families and schools and raising awareness of issues related to the care of people with Down syndrome. The successful candidate will join a thriving postgraduate research community of more than 70 PhD students who benefit from excellent support and resources from the School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences and the University Graduate School. A comprehensive package of training will be provided by the supervisors, University of Reading and Down Syndrome Oxford